• Business not sponsored by Majority and Minority leaders or a committee will have precedence over all other during Thursday morning sittings.
• The legislators have since March given precedence to helping the Executive to extend relief to Kenyans adversely affected by the coronavirus.
Priority will be given to private members' Bills when business resumes in National Assembly on Tuesday.
Covid-19 adversely affected the calendar of the House, with the presentation of individual Bills halted.
The legislators had since the pandemic given precedence to the business of helping the Executive to extend relief to Kenyans adversely affected by the coronavirus.
They prioritised laws allowing the reduction of income tax to 25 per cent, VAT to 14 per cent and also ratified budgetary adjustments to unlock a Sh53.7 billion economic stimulus package, among others.
However, a recent House leadership meeting resolved to dedicate more time to private members’ business over all other businesses.
Leader of Majority Amos Kimunya said they will also consider increasing House sitting hours to give MPs more time on the floor.
“The ten minutes allocation does not guarantee a member adequate time for airing issues affecting his/her people,” Kimunya said.
Henceforth, business not sponsored by Majority and Minority leaders or a committee will have precedence over all other business during Thursday morning sittings.
Normally, private members' business is slotted for Wednesday mornings, but this has not been possible since the coronavirus struck in March.
Members will be meeting in the afternoon on Tuesdays and sit in the morning and afternoon on Thursdays. The Wednesday sittings have been suspended.
With the resolve, the second reading of the Cancer Prevention and Control Bill by Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay Woman MP) is now the priority.
The Bill seeks to compel all public health facilities to provide cancer treatment as part of primary healthcare.
It also seeks to compel the government to provide cancer treatment at the lowest level facilities.
Also lined up for second reading is a Bill to amend the Public Service Commission Act to provide that persons in acting capacity stop earning acting allowances after six months.
The legislation by Embakasi Central Benjamin Gathiru is dated April 5, 2019 and was first read on May 2, 2019.
The House Business Committee has also lined up Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa’s National Disaster Management Authority Bill, 2019.
The proposed law seeks to establish a centralised system of responding to and managing disasters in the country to cure the uncoordinated response said to have caused more deaths.
Ruiru MP Simon Kingara’s proposed amendment to the Public Order Act is also due for second reading.
It seeks to make provision for organisers of public meetings or public procession leading to loss of property, life or earnings to take responsibility for the loss and compensate the affected persons.
Matuga MP Kassim Tandaza’s Bill targets for inclusion achiote – a crop famous as mrangi in Coast, which if passed will allow its growers to enjoy marketing and distribution support, efficient transportation, promotion and value addition prior to export.
The House is resuming at the height of the focus on the Covid-19 procurement queries.
- mwaniki fm